Scolopsis margaritifera was first formally described as Scolopsides margaritifer in 1830 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with its type locality given as Waigeo in Indonesia.

[3] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Scolopsis within the family Nemipteridae which it places in the order Spariformes.

The juveniles are pale in colour with a darker back and a black longitudinal stripe along the flanks, the lower body is sometimes yellow.

[2] Scolopsis margaritifera is found in the Andaman Sea in the eastern Indian Ocean eastwards to Vanuatu, south to northeastern Australia and north to Taiwan.

[1] The monogenean Anoplodiscus hutsonae is known to be an ectoparasite of this species, living on the pectoral fins and the surface of the body.